Signal.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRED H. vPETTIT, RHEA, OKLAHOMA.

SIGNAL.

No. 885,644. Specification of Letters Patent. Patented April 21, 1908.

' Application filed July 10, 1907. Serial N 0. 383,098.

To all whom it may concern: tension 6 of the semaphore, the spring being Be it known that I, FRED H. PETTIT, a citinormally tensioned to project the signal into zen of the United States, residing at Rhea, in operative or set position. the county of Dewey, State of Oklahoma, Pivotally secured at 10 on the standard 2 have invented new and useful Improvements is a trigger 11, the lower end of which termiin Signals of which the following is a specifi nates in a forwardly extending finger 12, the cation. upper end of the trigger being of semi-circu- The invention relates to an improvement lar formation to provide a guard arm 13. in signals and particularly to an automat- The trigger is so mounted on the standard ically actuated signal of the mechanical type, that the guard arm 13 extends in rear of said ada ted primarily for railroad use.- standard above the relatively lower end of he main object of the present invention the slot 4, whereby when the parts are in is the provision of a mechanical signal adaptnormal position said guard arm will prevent ed to be automatically actuated by a change outward or rearward movement of the lower in the condition of the roadbed, such for exend of the leaf 7, thereby maintaining the ample as the movement of a bridge under a semaphore or signal 5 in elevated or in operafreshet, or the displacement of a rail in a tive position. A trip lever 14 is pivotally washout, the construction providing a means secured upon the base 1, as at 15, the rear for automatically actuating the signal or end of the lever being designed to engage the signals in the movement of the rail and therefree end of the finger 12 of the trigger, while by advising the engineer of an approaching the forward end projects beyond the base train of the condition of the roadbed in adplate and is formed with an eye 16. vance of him. In operative position the signal is elevated The invention will be described in the folas shown in full lines in Fig. 1, and the rear lowing specification, reference being had parend trip lever arranged in advance of and in ticularly to the accompanying drawings, in contact with the free end of the finger 12 of which: the trigger. This secures the trigger against Fi ure 1 is a view in elevation showing the movement and utilizes the guard arm 13 signa in operative or normal position, the thereof to prevent the signal from falling to 35 housing being omitted, Fig. 2 is a top plan of operative or set position. If the forward the same with the si nal in operative posiend of the trip lever is moved laterally, howtion or set position, ig. 3 is a perspective ever, the rear end is disengaged from the trigview of the com lete signal, Fig. 4 is apartial ger, permitting the spring 9 and the weight side elevation o a ortion of the housing. of the signal to move said signal to operative Referring particu arly to the drawings, my or set position, the lower end of the leaf 7 improved signal apparatus comprises a base contacting with the guard arm of the trigger plate 1 on which, near one end, is secured a and displacing the same through the capastandard 2, the relatively forward face of bility of the trigger to turn on the pivot 10. which is of arcuate formation, as at 3, with The use of the apparatus is primarily for the up or end of the standard formed with a bridge structures or the like, in which use centra ly disposed longitudinally extending two signals are arranged on opposite sides slot 4. of the bridge and at sufficient distances from The signal comprises a semaphore arm 5 the ends thereof to provide for proper conof any desired construction, which at the trol of the train after receiving the signal and inner or connected end is provided with a before reaching the bridge. The eyes 16 of post extension 6, the relatively lower end of the trip levers of each of the signals are conwhich is reduced to provide a leaf 7 of a size nected by any inflexible connector, such as a to fit within the slot 4 of the standard. The wire rod, not shown, and this rod is prefersemaphore is connected to the standard ably arranged in close proximity to the web through the medium of a pivot pin 8 bridging of one rail of the track below the head or ball the slot 4 and engaging the leaf7 of the signal, of the rail. With this arrangement it is at whereby said signal is capable of gravitation once obvious that if the rail is moved latertoward set or 0 erative position, as illusally, as by displacement of the bridge for trated in dotte lines in Fig. 1. A leaf any reason, the connector is drawn upon spring 9 is secured to the standard 2 with the with the result to rock the trip levers of both upper free end bearing against the post exsignals and cause the semaphore of said sigcess to the operating parts.

nals to fall to set or operative position. The engineers of approaching trains are thus notified of the dangerous condition of the track in advance of them and may control their trains accordingly.

WVhile adapting the device primarily for bridge structures or the like it is obvious that any portion of a railroad track may be similarly protected, so that it is thereby possible to dispose an automatic guard for those portions of the track Which are subject to washouts or displacement by any means. In fact any number of signals throughout any length of track may be connected with the effect to thoroughly protect the track against spreading rails from any cause.

I prefer to inclose the signal apparatus in a housing 17, one side of Which is preferably provided With a door 18 for convenient ac- One wall of the housing is formed With a slot 19 to permit proper movement of the semaphore signal, and a housing extension 20 is arranged to overlie that portion of the trip lever projecting beyond the main housing.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new, is

1. A signal apparatus comprising a base plate, a signal pivotally secured thereon and adapted to move to operative position by gravity, means for forcing the signal into set or operative position, means for holding the signal against such movement, and means for securing the holding means against signal releasing movement.

2. A signal apparatus comprising a base plate, a signal pivotally mounted thereon and adapted to move to operative position l l l l l l i l l l l by gravity, a trigger for holding the signal against operative movement, and a trlp lever for preventing signal releasing movement of the trigger.

3. A base plate, a standard rising there.

from, a signal pivotally mounted inv the standard, a spring for movin direction, a trigger mounted on the standard and operative to directly engage the signal and secure the same against movement in one direction, and a trip lever mounted on the base plate and normally engaging the trigger.

4. A base plate, a standard rising therefrom, a signal pivotally mounted in the standard, a trigger mounted on the standard and operative to directly engage the signal and secure the same against movement in one direction, and a trip lever mounted on the base plate and normally engaging the trigger.

5. A signal apparatus comprising a base plate, a standard rising therefrom and formed with a longitudinally extending slot, a semaphore pivotally mounted in the slot in the standard, a spring secured to the standard and bearing against the sen'iaphore, a trigger mounted on the standard and having aguard arm to overlie the slot in the standard, and a trip lever mounted on the base plate and adapted to engage one end of the triggerto prevent signal releasing movement of the guard arm.

In testimony whereof, I allix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRED II. PETTIT.

W'itnesses ABNER R. DRISKELL, Tnonas E. CHOWDER.

the signal in one A 

